**Shane the cat whisperer**

tfarabians

Ok I need your thoughts, or I'm going to KILL our cat lol!  So usually we lock our cat up in the laundry room at night for several reasons a) he decides to let loose on the leather autamin and b)he thinks its a great trick to go down to the boys rooms and MEOW as loud as possible at 5am waking them up  c)repeats this option in our room if we lock him in with us.

So he has learned that if he bangs on the pocket door to the laundry room long enough it will shimmy open or we will come running and throw him outside.  If he gets it open he heads straight for the boys rooms and wakes them up so that we will get up.  Normally I could deal with this but with my lack of sleep and mental state lately he is walking on very thin ice!!  I'm at the point that I'm about to just make him an outdoor only cat.  UGH HELP!  Thoughts?

MSTie24

I know exactly how frustrated you are because our cats did the same thing at out old house!  We had a pocket door with the kitchen and family room/dining area on one side, and the living room and bedrooms on the other.  We trapped them on the kitchen side but they figured out how to push the door open as well.  We screwed a hook and eye set into the door and frame and latched it every night, so they couldn't pull it open.  Then we used a shim made of a folded piece of cardboard and fit it between the door and the pocket to keep it from rattling inside the pocket.  So even if they still smacked at it, it wouldn't made noise that disturbed us.  I'm not sure how far your laundry room is from the bedrooms, though, so if it's very close you may still hear a bit of commotion, but hopefully nothing a white noise machine couldn't drown out.

A couple other things- sounds obvious but I assume he has a litter box in there, right?  Also of course a cozy place to sleep and if he likes to scratch, maybe a small scratcher you can move out during the day.  Also, if you don't already, try feeding him dinner right before you go to bed.  I also suggest canned food for the evening meal since it is much more filling/satisfying than dry and a nice full tummy should encourage rest so his body can digest it and put the ingredients to work.  Dry food, even the meatiest grain free ones, really don't have enough protein to satiate so they get hungry (and ornery) faster.  If he's not a canned food fan, I can help you get him on it- just let me know if that's not his "thing."  Finally, try playing with a good toy right before bed to tucker him out.  I always like a nice wand toy like a mylar sparkle wand or Da Bird, with fluttering feathers.  Maybe Cruz can help with that part.

Hugs!  I hope you are able to get this under control.  Indoors, especially at night, is so much safer but I know you must just be at your wits end.  Hopefully this gives you some ideas/strategies that will make everyone- you and your family, and the kitty- much happier!